1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to an interface security method and apparatus.
2. Discussion of the Related Art
Many electronic devices are made to communicate with other electronic devices by, for example, mechanically and/or electronically coupling together through a connector, a cable, wire or wirelessly. Manufactures design the electronic devices to couple with other devices and communicate by transmitting and/or receiving information to/from the other device. The coupling between devices may be locally physically attached, next or near to the other device, or there may be a distance between the devices that requires the communicating to be over a cable, wire or wirelessly.
Some manufactures find it advantageous to design the electronic device to be capable of coupling with multiple types of electronic devices manufactured from multiple companies. However, some manufacturers design the electronic devices to couple with a specific type of electronic device, for example, those designed by the same or related company. The interfaces for these electronic devices are considered to be proprietary. Additionally, some software components on an electronic device are proprietary, and are often only licensed to the customer for a particular use. Thus, when purchasing some electronic devices, customers must often agree to certain licensing and/or use restrictions of the software components. Typical licensing agreements include, but are not limited to, the user refraining from copying the software for use in other electronic devices.
However, some users still access the electronic devices in an unauthorized manner, e.g., the proprietary systems are “hacked” by a customer, in order to steal or improperly use the software components. Additionally, the electronic devices and/or software components may be sold or used in a manner that is not approved by the module's vendor, or authorized under, for example, a licensing agreement.
Many designers and manufacturers prefer to protect the time and money spent in designing and providing highly advanced electronic devices to consumers, and to deter the hacking and illegal use of the electronic devices. It is advantageous for a manufacturer to know that their electronic devices will only be properly paired (e.g., coupled and communicating) with approved devices. And thus, a way to prevent unauthorized access to the electronic device's proprietary interface is needed to insure proper usage and assurance that a hacker is unable to migrate the device or it's software components to an unauthorized system.